As we're unlikely to see terraces again at football, this is the virtual equivalent where you can chat to your hearts content about all football matters and, obviously, Arsenal in particular. This forum encourages all Gooners to visit and contribute so please keep it respectful, clean and topical.
on the draw…
We need a good Christmas present now [in the draw]. We’ll see. The disadvantage we have is we play the second game away, but it’s not statistically proven it’s a disadvantage. The important thing now is to focus on the Premier League and forget about the Champions League. [We need to] get ourselves back in decent form in the Premier League.
Get your excuses in now Arsene.. the diasadvantage is to play the 2nd game away, but it not's actually a disadvantage so stop telling the players that.
Arsene Wenger has been the manager that has produced the best football I have ever witnessed.
Arsene Wenger has been the Arsenal manager that has won 2 doubles and an unbeaten season.
Arsene Wenger has been the Arsenal manager that has overseen the transformation of our great club.
Arsene Wenger has turned our unbeaten side into a turgid, slow passing, mentally weak, shadow of a team with no work ethic.
Robson at long, long last is telling it like it is....I bet he is banned from the bowl for such treacherous behaviour...
It sounds as if wenker really is a despot and rules with an iron fist and anyone who dares say anything against him or the way he runs things is shown the door. In fact it sounds like a 'Cult'....wenker the false guru
I personally can't remember Robson being anywhere near as critical in the last 5 years as he's made out here?
Fair play to him though, agree with everything he says and he doesn't pull any punches. I hate relying on the media machine but fact is more and more 'pundits' etc that get publicity saying he needs to go the better. Regardless of Wenger's near-immunity to results-based performance analysis from above, if it got to the stage where the washed-up wankers on MOTD were saying he needed the chop the pressure would be far greater. Unfortunately at the moment it's only internal pressure from a section of the fans because, nobody outside of Arsenal gives a fuck about him because they don't go through what we do and tbh everyone thinks it's great how shite we are!
Currently watching the cricket highlights and a thought has struck me. Sachin Tendulkar is cricket's Arsene Wenger. Not as much of a of course but he's clearly lost his ability yet every half decent innings is seen by the Sachin worshippers as proof that their god has "mental strength" and should still be in the team (a team in decline with average players replacing former greats). Then there are those who see past the odd success (a scrappy win against Montpellier or 100 against Bangladesh) and realise that indian cricket is in trouble and obsessed with money from the IPL. Actually Ricky Ponting was more Wenger like in character but he had the decency to sod off eventually.
Indian cricket in general is badly run really and the board refuse to do anything about their problems (an average Test side especially away from India) as long as they're pocketing wads of cash. Now teams are coming to their backyard and beating them at their own game (with spin)
Anyway i know we've had cricket comparisons on here, something about Graeme Gooch I seem to remember, so just thought I'd throw that out there.
Bacary Sagna looks set to be the next high-profile Arsenal player to walk away from the club.
The France right back feels ‘disrespected’ by the Gunners’ offer of a 12-month extension to his deal that expires in 2014. He has told team-mates he expects to leave at the end of the season.
Arsenal are refusing to improve his current wage of £60,000 a week. Given this will be the defender’s final big contract — he is 30 in February — he is looking for a substantial salary increase.
The club’s decision not to offer a long-term deal is thought to be connected to fears over his injury record, having suffered two broken legs in a year.
Sagna angered Wenger this season after publicly criticising the club for selling Robin van Persie and Alex Song during the summer.
Theo Walcott has also told Arsenal he is unwilling to sign a five-year deal worth £75,000 a week.
Bacary Sagna looks set to be the next high-profile Arsenal player to walk away from the club.
The France right back feels ‘disrespected’ by the Gunners’ offer of a 12-month extension to his deal that expires in 2014. He has told team-mates he expects to leave at the end of the season.
Arsenal are refusing to improve his current wage of £60,000 a week. Given this will be the defender’s final big contract — he is 30 in February — he is looking for a substantial salary increase.
The club’s decision not to offer a long-term deal is thought to be connected to fears over his injury record, having suffered two broken legs in a year.
Sagna angered Wenger this season after publicly criticising the club for selling Robin van Persie and Alex Song during the summer.
Theo Walcott has also told Arsenal he is unwilling to sign a five-year deal worth £75,000 a week.
Discuss
Ehhh, Diaby? Rosicky? I would have thought Sagna's recent injury record would have made him a certainty for a new and improved contract.